1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reverse system for a water-jet propulsion personal watercraft. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure of a reverse bucket used for changing a direction of water flow during rearward travel of the water-jet propulsion personal watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, water-jet propulsion personal watercraft have been widely used in leisure, sport, rescue activities, and the like. The personal watercraft is configured to accommodate an engine within a body formed by a hull and a deck covering the hull from above. The engine is configured to drive a water jet pump, which pressurizes and accelerates water sucked from a water intake generally provided on a hull bottom surface and ejects it rearward from an outlet port. As a result, the personal watercraft is propelled.
In water-jet propulsion personal watercraft, a steering nozzle is provided behind the water jet pump to be pivotable either to the right or to the left, and is connected to a bar-type steering handle attached to a front portion of the body through a cable. When an operator operates the steering handle, the steering nozzle is pivotable to the right or to the left so that a flow direction of water ejected from the water jet pump can be changed.
Japanese Patent Nos. 2756434 and 3358718 disclose a construction in which a reverse bucket is provided behind a water jet pump to cover a steering nozzle. The reverse bucket is vertically pivotable. When the reverse bucket is pivoted downward to a lower position, water ejected from the steering nozzle collides with an inner wall of the reverse bucket and is thereby directed substantially forward. As a result, the watercraft is propelled rearward.
In the above described reverse bucket, after the collision with the inner wall, the jet flow is scattered forward and to the right or to the left in an extensive angular range. In this reverse bucket, a propulsion force for moving the watercraft rearward is not sufficiently gained when the engine is running at a low speed, for example, in an idle state. So, it may be necessary to open a throttle to increase the water ejected from the steering nozzle to move the watercraft rearward only a small distance. Such deficiency of the propulsion force also arises when the watercraft is turning to the right or to the left during rearward travel. In that case, the scattered jet flow may impede improvement of turning capability of the watercraft traveling rearward.
In another prior art, a reverse bucket provided with holes on right and left walls is used to eject small amounts of water through these holes to gain a propulsion force for turning a watercraft, thereby improving turning capability during rearward travel. In this reverse bucket, however, a steering direction of a bar-type steering handle does not conform to a turning direction of the watercraft. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a watercraft in which the steering direction of the steering handle conforms to the turning direction of the watercraft while improving the turning capability during the rearward travel of the watercraft.